Afiya Francisco is a Style Expert, television and fashion personality, speaker, and brand ambassador. The Style House is a multimedia platform designed to help women approach their personal style with confidence, simplicity & joy.

This fashion maven is known
widely for her work at leading magazines, including Flare & Fashion and,
most recently, at the helm of FrontRowMag.com,
an online magazine that focuses on fashion and beauty in Canada. Here Michelle
shares her thoughts on style and the influences behind her unfussy elegance.

with Ceri Marsh.

with Rachell Saevil.

Kate Moss with Marc Jacobs.

Marion Cotillard.

Tilda Swinton.

Gemini Astrological illustration, Olioboard.

Carine Roitfeld.

Do you prefer to
dress for an occasion or for everyday?

I
can get lazy with the everyday, especially during winter. So I would say that I
prefer dressing for a specific occasion.

Would you rather be overdressed or
underdressed?

I
would rather be overdressed. You never want to feel like you are not dressed
appropriately.

Do you have a signature style or do you
prefer keep 'em guessing?

I
would like to think that I prefer to keep people guessing, but I do lean
towards more classic looks.

Your all-time favourite outfits:

1.Loved wearing a sequined black dress,
with a low cut back, to my best friend's 30th birthday dinner out in Paris in
2011.

3.
I also love my purple Greta Constantine dress, which I wore to my best friend's
wedding (shown here at a CANFAR event earlier this year).

4.
A floor length D&G dress that I wore to Fashion Magazine's 30th anniversary
party, back when I had long blonde hair!

Your top 3 celeb style moments: (In no particular order)

Kate
Moss wearing a gold dress and turban to the 2009 MET gala.

Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier at the 2008
Oscars.

And
pretty much anything Tilda Swinton wears.

What would you
buy with an unexpected windfall?

Oh,
I've thought about this lots. I would honestly start my entire wardrobe over,
say for maybe five pieces. New everything. And I would go shopping in Paris and
New York.

Heels or flats?

I
love heels. But have ruined my feet, playing soccer since I was in my early 20s
(torn ligaments, broken toes, etc), making heels sometimes very painful. So,
let's say 50/50?

Will you suffer
for fashion or should it be comfortable? Is there an occasion that you will
break this rule?

I
think clothing should be comfortable. Pulling at your clothing because it
doesn't fit properly is very unattractive. That being said, I have suffered
through nights in certain heels because they look spectacular!

Always stylish or does even fashion need
to take a break? Any exceptions?

I
think fashion breaks are important. Sort of a cleansing of the palette.